Baby Twins in NICU Going Home

Parents are often overjoyed at the birth of their child, and can’t wait to take them home. For two Bismarck parents, the wait has been much longer. Their twins were born three months early, and weren`t able to leave the hospital. This week, they've finally turned a corner.

Their names are Zachary and Reagan Ziegler: Three-month-old twin brother and sister born 12 weeks prematurely, weighing only about two pounds each.

"[There were] five people around each baby, trying to put a tube down their throat," recalls father, Bryan Ziegler. "I really didn`t have an idea what was going on-knowing my wife was still in the other room, getting sewn back up. It was just a whirl of emotions."

Zachary and Reagan were immediately put on ventilators in the St. Alexius NICU. It was three weeks before their mother could even hold them, but the twins have since learned how to breathe on their own, fought setbacks, like the flu, and even tripled their weight.

"So every time they gained a pound, we were overjoyed," said mother Jenna Ziegler. Bryan and Jenna watched their babies grow strong and healthy and their personalities blossom.

"He's a crier. She’s very laid back. They're completely different," explains Bryan. The Zieglers have spent every day in the NICU from the end of November until this weekend. "We got to bring our little boy home, now we`re just waiting for Reagan," explains Jenna. Zachary went home on Valentine’s Day, and Reagan will finally go home on Monday. They can’t wait. "To start our lives as a family." Jenna wonders, "Can they learn their routines? And figure out how we’re going to be as parents."

The Zieglers say they’re thankful for the St. Alexius staff for guiding their family through what they say has been a roller coaster.